Plumber quotation €600 for small job

regina123

Hey guys, I have a small job which is basically fitting a new shower, sliding door and shower tray. I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT) which I think is a crazy price for less than a days work.

Is this the going rate for small jobs? How much do plumbers charge per day?

Thanks in advance!

Hollister11

There all busy.

If you won't pay it someone else will.

agusta

regina123 wrote: »

Hey guys, I have a small job which is basically fitting a new shower, sliding door and shower tray. I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT) which I think is a crazy price for less than a days work.

Is this the going rate for small jobs? How much do plumbers charge per day?

Thanks in advance!

Does the plumber not have to fit the shower tray and then wait until the walls are tiled etc. is the shower just a replacement,what type/model shower

regina123

I'm using enviroclad so it's not tiling .. yeah it's just a replacement, I bought a Triton fast fit electric shower

DOCARCH

The simple answer to whether it's reasonable or not is to get another quote.

Hitman3000

regina123 wrote:

Hey guys, I have a small job which is basically fitting a new shower, sliding door and shower tray. I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT) which I think is a crazy price for less than a days work.

Why not do it yourself?

regina123

I've gotten quotes from €600-€900 but i don't understand how it can cost that much to fit a shower.. it's not hard labour and it's only a days work

regina123

Hitman 3000, I am not a plumber obviously ��

Hitman3000

regina123 wrote:

Hitman 3000, I am not a plumber obviously

Neither am I, but the weekend past I fitted a new shower and doors. YouTube is great.

realdanbreen

regina123 wrote: »

Hey guys, I have a small job which is basically fitting a new shower, sliding door and shower tray. I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT) which I think is a crazy price for less than a days work.

Is this the going rate for small jobs? How much do plumbers charge per day?

Thanks in advance!

You say 'less than a days work' but the plumber has to charge for his day. I mean if he finishes your job at say 3.30 what can he do for the rest of the day?

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

regina123 wrote: »

I've gotten quotes from €600-€900 but i don't understand how it can cost that much to fit a shower.. it's not hard labour and it's only a days work

You don't set the rates, the market does. If there's better paying work elsewhere, why would a plumber turn it down to fit your shower?

Hitman3000

regina123 wrote:

I am not a plumber obviously

Just a question then, how do you know it's a small job and that 600 is crazy?

Rubberchikken

Try getting a number of quotes.
I've used tradesman.ie and had some success.

Jimmy Rabbitte Snr

regina123 wrote: »

Hey guys, I have a small job which is basically fitting a new shower, sliding door and shower tray. I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT) which I think is a crazy price for less than a days work.

Is this the going rate for small jobs? How much do plumbers charge per day?

Thanks in advance!

I am a plumber. Without seeing what's involved, it doesn't seem a crazy price to me at all.

agusta

do you not have to fit the enviroclad,tanking kit etc before the shower door and shower are fitted. its two visits for the plumber i would think

Seve OB

realdanbreen wrote: »

You say 'less than a days work' but the plumber has to charge for his day. I mean if he finishes your job at say 3.30 what can he do for the rest of the day?

If it is purely for his time €600 for a days work is serious wedge. That's €150k per year with weekends off!

Tayschren

Plumbers,tilers, sparks have all re joined the gravy train. You wont find a decent price right now for any small job cause these trades are up to their b0llix in work and can turn down or wait till you realise you have to pay the exorbitant rates

little bess

Part of that would be his Labour costs, maybe €200-250, they rest would be the cost of the showers tray etc plus fittings which all add up. Did he give you a breakdown quote?

realdanbreen

Seve OB wrote: »

If it is purely for his time €600 for a days work is serious wedge. That's €150k per year with weekends off!

Your assuming that he works every day. There are days spent looking at jobs and pricing jobs. Also he will more than likely have a helper to pay plus he will have invested in tools & equipment.

van_beano

little bess wrote: »

Part of that would be his Labour costs, maybe €200-250, they rest would be the cost of the showers tray etc plus fittings which all add up. Did he give you a breakdown quote?

For €600 she's getting a bargain if that's including the shower door, tray and shower. Those three items alone would nearly come to €600.

Jimmy Rabbitte Snr

realdanbreen wrote: »

Your assuming that he works every day. There are days spent looking at jobs and pricing jobs. Also he will more than likely have a helper to pay plus he will have invested in tools & equipment.

And insurance, van costs, etc. Plumbing fittings, waste fittings, consumables (silicone etc.). All adds up. You're not only paying for his time. You're paying for his knowledge and experience too. You're paying to know the job is done correctly asuming he's a good plumber. Find someone who will do it for half that price, but when your shower door or tray is leaking in a few week, good luck getting him back!

knipex

Seve OB wrote: »

If it is purely for his time €600 for a days work is serious wedge. That's €150k per year with weekends off!

We really need to start doing basic business studies at school.

revenue does not = profit.

He has insurance costs for public liability, professional indemnity etc,. van insurance, tool costs, van costs, trade costs, probably apprentice or laborer costs. He has to pay an accountant probably loan fees, company taxes, income taxes, rates, rent, advertising etc etc etc. Plus he doesn't get paid when he is sick, or on holidays or if his van breaks down..

I used to run a small business. It cost 250K per annum just to open the door. That was just fixed overheads..

If it is so simple and so lucrative go do an apprenticeship, buy a van and put a deposit on your Ferrari..

Disclaimer. I am not plumber or self employed..

Squall Leonhart

Recently had 2 brand new showers plumbed and wired, with tiles to the shower area. Cost of shower units and tiles came to about 1000. Labour for the installation came to about 1600. They were there 2 days doing bits. So what you've been quoted doesn't seem at all outlandish. Seems the going rate.

nuac

I know little of plumbing, but know a bit about being a self employed lawyer.

For the reasons already set out here, that is a reasonable quote, especially as he is supplying materials.

dil999

Does the 600 include VAT?

Does he come recommended?

Sleeper12

It's a two day job from what I can see.
Day 1. Plumber installs the tray. & first fixes the shower.

You then get someone fit the plastic walls.

Day 2. Plumber comes back to 2nd fix the shower, door etc.

Are you replacing an existing electric shower or is this a complete new installation?

Full installation needs an electrician & plumber & you'll get a cert when done. You can expect to pay around 500 for an electrician & plumber with you providing the shower for a full installation.

Word of warning with mains fed electric showers. Irish water is reducing the water pressure and water flow more & more. On a weekly basis we are coming across mains fed showers that no longer heat the water or are too hot after working perfectly for years. The shower itself would be fine but not getting enough water. This could be a perfect time to install a Pumped electric shower.

Sleeper12

Tayschren wrote:

Plumbers,tilers, sparks have all re joined the gravy train. You wont find a decent price right now for any small job cause these trades are up to their b0llix in work and can turn down or wait till you realise you have to pay the exorbitant rates

Plumbers prices have really changed since the Tiger days. I never reduced my rates and I've had my busiest 10 years ever.

The cheap prices and the race to the bottom you might have seen wasn't by fully tax compliant plumber. Some plumbers went out of business and onto the dole. They gave cash prices. They'd be replace your gas boiler for 400 cash but they weren't rgi registered or insured. Many already had a few hundred euro before they even left the house as they were on the dole.

Seve OB

knipex wrote: »

We really need to start doing basic business studies at school.

revenue does not = profit.

He has insurance costs for public liability, professional indemnity etc,. van insurance, tool costs, van costs, trade costs, probably apprentice or laborer costs. He has to pay an accountant probably loan fees, company taxes, income taxes, rates, rent, advertising etc etc etc. Plus he doesn't get paid when he is sick, or on holidays or if his van breaks down..

I used to run a small business. It cost 250K per annum just to open the door. That was just fixed overheads..

If it is so simple and so lucrative go do an apprenticeship, buy a van and put a deposit on your Ferrari..

Disclaimer. I am not plumber or self employed..

Firstly I never said it was profit.
Secondly I never said it was an unreasonable quote.
Thirdly I totally agree with you on all the above. I should know.......... I'm an accountant

All I said was that it is decent money, especially if it is for pure labour.

Shimbabwe

Plumbers..electricians...see ya later hard earned cash!

DOCARCH

Seve OB wrote: »

I'm an accountant

Don't get me started!!! :P

the_pen_turner

knipex wrote: »

We really need to start doing basic business studies at school.

revenue does not = profit.

He has insurance costs for public liability, professional indemnity etc,. van insurance, tool costs, van costs, trade costs, probably apprentice or laborer costs. He has to pay an accountant probably loan fees, company taxes, income taxes, rates, rent, advertising etc etc etc. Plus he doesn't get paid when he is sick, or on holidays or if his van breaks down..

I used to run a small business. It cost 250K per annum just to open the door. That was just fixed overheads..

If it is so simple and so lucrative go do an apprenticeship, buy a van and put a deposit on your Ferrari..

Disclaimer. I am not plumber or self employed..

I'm a one man band. self employed.
if I want to earn 100 euro a day and have some paid holidays I need to charge 190 euro a day plus vat
the costs are crazy

maryishere

realdanbreen wrote: »

You say 'less than a days work' but the plumber has to charge for his day. I mean if he finishes your job at say 3.30 what can he do for the rest of the day?

Go and fix a leaky tap down the road and something else for someone else.

knipex

maryishere wrote: »

Go and fix a leaky tap down the road and something else for someone else.

Because life is so easy and jobs just happen to come in like that.

Hi Mr Plumber. My tap is leaking and I need a call.

Well maryishere just let me log that for you and the next time I am on a job in the area that finishes a bit early I will pop in.

But Mr. Plumber my tap is leaking "NOW"

Ah maryishere that may be but attending now doesn't allow me to maximise my revenue stream for this 24 hour period..

Hi Boards. Its maryishere I have a leaking tap and the plumber told me that I would have to wait until he was in the area and could slot the job to allow him to Maximise his revenue stream for that period. Greedy \ lazy \ overpaid blah blah blah

If its that easy do an apprenticeship, buy a van and put a deposit on the Ferrari.

realdanbreen

maryishere wrote: »

Go and fix a leaky tap down the road and something else for someone else.

I'll say one thing Mary, comical and all as your post is, If I was ' fixing a leaky tap down the road' a lot would depend on what road I was on. From experience I know that the more affluent the road and the more 4x4's parked on that road the harder it will be to get paid!

dazed+confused

Tell you what, I'm a qualified electrician I'll do the job for you for €300 provided it can be done in a day.

I am not currently RECI registered (as I'm not working in the trade), and I'm not insured or registered for tax for the same reason.
So if I flood your house by mistake (it may not even be my fault) you will be paying for the repairs. Are you starting to get picture for where the other €300 goes now?

I also have a well paid full time job elsewhere so I don't really mind whether you're happy with my work and if you recommend me or not.
Therefore I have no incentive to come back and rectify any snags.

Sleeper12

dazed+confused wrote: »

Tell you what, I'm a qualified electrician I'll do the job for you for €300 provided it can be done in a day.

I am not currently RECI registered (as I'm not working in the trade), and I'm not insured or registered for tax for the same reason.
So if I flood your house by mistake (it may not even be my fault) you will be paying for the repairs. Are you starting to get picture for where the other €300 goes now?

I also have a well paid full time job elsewhere so I don't really mind whether you're happy with my work and if you recommend me or not.
Therefore I have no incentive to come back and rectify any snags.

I agree with the point you are making here. Isn't it funny though that people would think you are a great man & you get €300 for the job & the plumber quoting the OP would only get €300 if even that from the job despite charging €600 & everyone thinks him greedy.

There are so many things self employed have to factor in. Even getting the van serviced & DOE he might loose 2 or 3 working days

partyguinness

Well OP if it seems like a straight forward easy job and you are not happy about paying someone else to do it then do it yourself...

kingbhome

I get this alot when i charge. I would charge between 150-225 a day for my services. When i give a quote for say 750-900 a week sometimes, clients would say jesus thats very expensive, sure i get 400 a week wages, how can you charge me double when you work the same hours as me. Sure your man down the road charges people 80 euro a day.

Thankfully the rates are going up again, weve got it hard this last decade and deserve every cent we get.

As for the 600euro in the OP, 200 euro a day x 2 for 1 man, 80euro a day for x 2 days for the helper and the rest goes into the business for diesel/insurance etc.. I know youll be able to get someone down the pub to do it for 80-100 a day but he'll be on the dole and therell be no come back if he ruins your home.

Effects

dil999 wrote: »

Does the 600 include VAT?

regina123 wrote: »

I was given a quote of €600 (ex VAT)

.

Effects

Sleeper12 wrote: »

There are so many things self employed have to factor in. Even getting the van serviced & DOE he might loose 2 or 3 working days

I had a timing belt snap on me a few years ago. About ten days without van and a huge bill to pay as well.